Our Blog

January 2nd is unofficial National Science Fiction Day. Ever hear of a guy named Isaac Asimov? He was only one of the most famous science fiction writers of his time, which is why Sci-Fi Day is celebrated on his birthday! He also had some pretty impressive sideburns. Now, no one actually seems to be certain of the exact date he was born, including Asimov himself, but he chose to celebrate it on January 2nd and someone down the line decided to celebrate science fiction on the same day. 

Questionable origins aside, what is one to do on a National Science Fiction Day? Read, of course! What could be better than dedicating a day to reading all those books you got for Christmas? In honor of Mr. Asimov and sci-fi writers and readers everywhere, here’s a list of my favorite sci-fi novels, as well as some sci-fi classics that I plan to pick up and enjoy on January 2nd.

January 2nd is unofficial National Science Fiction Day. Ever hear of a guy named Isaac Asimov? He was only one of the most famous science fiction writers of his time, which is why Sci-Fi Day is celebrated on his birthday! He also had some pretty impressive sideburns. Now, no one actually seems to be certain of the exact date he was born, including Asimov himself, but he chose to celebrate it on January 2nd and someone down the line decided to celebrate science fiction on the same day. 

Questionable origins aside, what is one to do on a National Science Fiction Day? Read, of course! What could be better than dedicating a day to reading all those books you got for Christmas? In honor of Mr. Asimov and sci-fi writers and readers everywhere, here’s a list of my favorite sci-fi novels, as well as some sci-fi classics that I plan to pick up and enjoy on January 2nd.

Update: Horrorstor has been added in the semi-final round! Thanks for voting it in, everyone! 

Ah, the Goodreads Choice Awards. I don't know about you guys, but I get pretty psyched for them every single year. I knew they would be opening up this morning, and I had a hard time sleeping, waking up and checking Twitter to see if they had gone live.

This year, Quirk has three FOUR titles nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and we are absolutely thrilled. 

HORRORSTOR by Grady Hendrix is nominated in Best Horror of 2014.

WORLD OF TROUBLE by Ben H. Winters is nominated in Best Science Fiction of 2014.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S THE EMPIRE STRIKETH BACK by Ian Doescher is nominated in Best Humor of 2014. 

HOLLOW CITY by Ransom Riggs is nominated in Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction of 2014.

Go cast your votes! And congrats to Ben, Ransom, Grady, and Ian! 

I was probably 11 or 12 the first time I read William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and ever since then I’ve read the book about every five years.  Why do I keep coming back to it?  There’s something I can’t shake in the story—the slow descent from order to chaos, the images it conjures of a society created entirely by boys, and of course the characters: the wise Ralph, the alluring and dangerous Jack, the annoying (but ultimately correct) Piggy.

Because I am who I am, I can’t help crossing Lord of the Flies in my mind with Shakespeare’s Tempest.  Both start with a wreck and take place on an island.  If Lord of the Flies had started with a shipwreck instead of a plane crash, one could imagine Prospero’s daughter Miranda looking on with fear:

Miranda: The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,

But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,

Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered

With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel,

Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her,

Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock

Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perish'd.

Had I been any god of power, I would

Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere

It should the good ship so have swallow’d and

The fraughting souls within her.

In this version, Caliban goes around planting fear and unrest among the boys.  Ariel tries as hard as he can to undo Caliban’s work, but ultimate it’s too late: where Tempest moves from chaos to order and resolution, William Shakespeare’s Lord of the Flies turns from relative order to chaos and destruction.  Prospero’s efforts at pacification fail, and only a passing ship manages to restore order and rescue the boys.  This becomes the Anti-Tempest, the one where things don’t work out in the end.

And maybe that’s why I loved Lord of the Flies, even as a middle schooler.  Because sometimes things are messy, sometimes “happily ever after” isn’t a thing.  Sometimes everything goes to hell and all the adults can do is look away:

The tears began to flow and sobs shook him [Ralph]. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

The officer, surrounded by these noises, was moved and a little embarrassed.  He turned away to give them time to pull themselves together; and waited, allowing his eyes to rest on the trim cruiser in the distance.

Chocolate, geekery, and Do-It-Yourself-ing: 3 things we love, so why not celebrate them all? Follow these 5 simple steps to make delicious melt-in-your-mouth chocolates inspired by your favorite geeky interests. You can even add special goodies to your chocolates with our bonus tips on additional ingredients!

Gather your materials:

·         Double Boiler – the easiest way to melt chocolate effectively is with a double boiler, but if you don't have one you can heat water in a shallow pan and use a smaller pan or heat-friendly bowl to hold your melting chocolate.

·         Water – enough to fill your double boiler, or the larger of your two pans.

·         Chocolate – grocery store baking chips are fine, pure chocolate bars work well too. Start with a bag or two of semisweet or milk chocolate.

·         Molds – a silicone mold is perfect for chocolate-making because it can stand heat and can make sharp details pop. The molds in this tutorial are available online here: Carbonite Han Solo, TARDIS.

·         Silicone Spatula

·         Small Table Spoon

·         Special Extras – once you've got the basics of the chocolate-making process down pat, you can try adding special elements to your candies. For this project, I used Andes Crème de Menthe candies.

1. Heat the water, prep your chocolate Heat the water in your pot/boiler on your stovetop. While the water comes up to a near-boil (some bubbles on the bottom, but a fairly undisturbed surface) pour your solid chocolate into the melting pan. Pro tip: the volume of chocolate will get smaller as it melts down, but it's easy to add more once the melting has begun.

2. Melt your chocolate Once the water is at a near-boil, you're ready to melt! Gently lower the melting pan into the water. Watch your chocolate carefully and don’t rest the melting pan on the bottom of the water pan. Wait till the chips begin to glisten before gently stirring (more like spreading frosting than actual stirring) with your silicone spatula. Once the chocolate looks smooth and reaches the consistency of warm creamy peanut butter, it is ready to pour.

Pro tip on melting: Don’t put your chocolate on direct heat – it’s very easy to burn it! Using the double boiler method heats the chocolate evenly and keeps the heat at a constant temperature. The science works like this: water boils at 100°C or 212° F and can't get any hotter than that without evaporating. That makes hot water a perfect way to regulate heat! Just make sure the surface of the water is calm, you don't want it to splash into the chocolate.

3. Prep the mold and pour Silicone molds are flexible, so rest yours on a baking sheet or cooling rack for stability. When your chocolate is melted fully, remove the pan from the hot water and gently spoon/pour chocolate into the molds. Be careful not to let any water drip on the molds! Pro tip: use your spoon or a toothpick to ensure that the chocolate has made it into every detail of the mold and remove any bubbles.

4. Let your chocolates cool Let your mold cool in a clear, undisturbed part of the refrigerator. Let it cool for at least 2 hours for a shallow mold like the tiny Carbonite Solos and longer if your mold is deep like the TARDIS. These chocolates were allowed to cool and solidify overnight.

5. Enjoy your chocolates! You can wrap your chocolates as tiny gifts, decorate cakes with them, or lay them out with your spread for a series premiere party, nerdy book club, or sci-fi crafting circle. Just remember that like all chocolate, the more you handle it or leave it in warm places the more it will melt.

—

Have you tried making candy with a silicone mold before? Leave a comment to tell us all about it!